Windshield wiper and method of forming the same



' Dec. 16, 1941.

E. c. HORTON WINDSHIELD WIPER AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Jul 15, 1939 INVENTO I 5740/52 (2 flor/arz ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 16, 1941 UNITED. STATE wiNDsum n wir FORMING 'rna I Erwin C; Horton,

s PATENT orrice I ER mana r; f f

Hamburg, N Y., asslg'nor to Trico Products CorporatiomBuffalo, ,-N., Y. Application July 13,1939, Serla1No.284,295 f" Claims. (01. -245) This inventionrelates to a jwindow'or windshield wiper and a method] of forming the same.

The windshield cleaning squeegee with which motor vehicles are now equipped: comprises" a wiping strip or body with a channeled reinforce: ment folded over the back edge thereof in clamping embrace. Somedifliculty has heretoforebeen experienced in applying the channeled reinforce ment to the wiper strip by reason of an improper folding of the channeled'member which resulted in' a distorted clampingembrace on thewiping body and a consequential chattering of the wiper on the windshield surface. Suchdeformation of the wiper consequently caused a blurredfield of vision whichwas quite annoying to. the motorist.'

broughtinto clamping} embrace with the inter posed wiper body., g In thedrawing showing the pre erred embodi ment of the present invention,

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation V of the wiping member niounted in operative pesition on the windshield of a motorvehicIe; I v

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the holder about to'be clamped onto thewiping body;

Fig.3' is a fragmentary perspective view of the channeled holder preliminary to placing itover the back of the wiping strip; and 1 Fig. 4 isan end elevation of the completed wiper depicting a modified form of mounting clip; Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I designates the windshield or window of a motor vehicle, 2 the operating shaft of sary.

the holder and secured theretobyia suitable fastener 8. Thiscllp is frequently sold as an at tachrnent for the blade. unit; depicted in l soas to render'the unit universally attachable to the diiferent types of arms vehicles' and for this purpose the blade is provided i immediately beneath the one with an opening] I to receive thescrew'8, the fin being so constructed [as tojpermit displacement'thereof priorto mountingthe clip 'ljwhere suchis neces In prior practices neled holder was placedoven the back' of the rubber strip and; then drawn into clamping 'embrace with the opposite sides of the strip as shown at [9 in Fig. 4, "Through improper placement of the partially folded holderover the back of the rubber stripeat'the' time; the clamping pressure was applied the embracing portions-of the holdersides would sometimes -become'relatively'floifs'et, which in turnfwould permit'the I rubberflwiping edge a greater freedom of flexing in 'onejdi'rection than in thej'opp'osite'direction and result in the wiper chattering on the'glass on every othgeifstroke. "This would also sometimes cause a displacement-of the attaching fin orclipand produce a binding interlock with thearm when attached thereto so that thewiper wouldbefreeto assume a dragging position at the beginning of one stroke but preventd irom assuming" a like position at theb'eginningiof the next succeeding stroke;

a windshield cleaner, and 3 the wiper carrying of wiper arms the fin may be replaced by a clip 1 of inverted U-shape placed over the back of ,To overcome this disadvantage and to insure the greatest efficiency from the wiper is themain des'ideratum of the present invention and accordingto the illustrated embodiment this is accomplished by providing aweakened zone midway'of the holder blank to delineate or demarcate a line of fold about which the holder is shaped as it is clampingly embraced with the wiping strip. This weakened area is formed by providing a groove l0 extending midway of the holderblank and more or less coextensive therewith. Simultaneously therewith the blank may be formed with the openings II for receiving the fastener 8.

This preliminary'formation may be expeditiously found on motor the partially formed chan the jaws l8 are brought against the sides of the holder to bend them against the,sides of the wiping strip with a clamping pressure and thereby complete the formation of the blade which is shown more fully in the end elevation of Fig. 4. As the jaws 16 complete this flnal shaping of the holder, the bending of the channeled sides will occur from the weakened area as provided by the groove l0 and consequently the two sides of the channel will be brought into accurate registry for clamping against the wiper strip. The wiping edgeof the strip will therefore oscillate freely from the line of clamping in either direc-- tion, the extent of oscillation being determined by the outward flaring of the channel margins l'l through a slot over the aperture in the holder blank and there swaging the same or otherwise 2,266,894 With the parts so arranged as depicted in Fig. 2,

holder blank with a channel formation and providing a midway weakened zone for delineating a longitudinal line of fold in the bottom of the channel, mounting an arm attaching means on the back of the holder at such line of fold, then placing the channeled holder over a longitudinal edge of the wiping strip, and closing the sides of the channel against the sides of the strip about the line of fold.

r 2. A squeegee comprising a wiping body and a channeled backing holder including side walls clampingly embracing the back portion of said body, said channeled holder being formed with a narrow medial zone of relatively weakened material extending centrallyand longitudinally at a line of fold for the walls, the longitudinally extending side walls being so relatively shaped and spaced that the wiper is engaged with uniform pressure at directly opposing points.

3. A squeegee comprising a wiping body and a channeled backing holder, said holder including a central portion and side wall portions, the side interlocking the two parts together in an approved manner. As above stated, the groove or score line l0 may extend the full length of the blank or it may be terminated short of the clip 6 so as not to detract from a firm anchorage of the latter. This will not detract from a proper registry when folding or closing the open channel against the sides of the wiping stripl By reason of the weakened area the back of the holder will be given a sharper-bend forming in effect a ridge as indicated at l8 to facilitate the rocking of the blade on the flat undersurface of the arm terminal. It also facilitates a reopening of the channel to replace the wiping body when desired.

It will be understood that the construction described and shown herein is merely illustrative of the inventive principles involved which may be applied to other physical embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is: u 1. The method of forming a wiper blad wherein a channeled metal holder is secured over the back of a flexible wiping strip for reinforcement, consisting in preliminarily forming the wall portions clamping'ly embracing the back portion of said body, and the central portion of the holder being formed with a narrow zone of relativ'ely weakened material extending longitudinally at a line, of fold of the side walls, the side walls being relatively so shaped and spaced that the wiper is engaged with uniform pressure at directly opposing points.

, 4. A squeegee comprising a wiping body having a channeled backing including side walls and a central portion on which a wiper arm presses to urge the wiping body against the surface being wiped, the bottom of the central portion ofsaid channel being formed substantially throughout its length with a relatively narrow area of reduced thickness along which the sides of the channel are foldedfand a ridge extending along the outer surface of said channel formed. of protruding portions of the reduced area urged outwardly by the folding of said side walls.

5. A squeegee comprising a wiping body and a channeled backing holderincluding side walls clampingly embracing the back-portion of the body, and an attaching fin fixed centrally to the outer face of said holder, said'holder being materially reduced in thickness at each side of said fin in a direction and area defining a line of fold, whereby the sidewall portions of said channel embracing said body are located at predeter- .mined opposed points, theside walls being so shaped and arranged that the wiper is engaged with uniform pressure at opposed areas.

ERWIN cI HORTON. 

